Report: Cubs Naming Former Cleveland AGM Carter Hawkins New GM
According to a report from The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli, the Cubs are finalizing a deal with Cleveland assistant general manager Carter Hawkins to become their new GM. Hawkins was one of four candidates named by Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney recently and fits the Cubs’ desires for a progressive-minded new voice with a focus on player development.
Hawkins, 37, is a 2007 Vanderbilt graduate who won four letters as part of the baseball team. He joined Cleveland as a scouting intern in 2008 and also has experience in baseball operations from his rise through the ranks over the last 14 years. More specifically, he may have been targeted due to his expertise when it comes to developing pitchers.
This tweet exchange seems relevant to the Carter Hawkins hire. pic.twitter.com/kkRZVGbu4R
— Brad (@ballskwok) October 13, 2021
In case you can’t see or don’t understand the content in the tweet above, someone asked which organization does the best job in all facets of pitching development (drafting, philosophy, coaching, etc). The first answer is from FanGraphs prospect guru Eric Longenhagen, who said Cleveland. ESPN prospect expert Kiley McDaniel said Cleveland and the Yankees.
While the Cubs have a solid crop of pitchers coming up, it’s been evident for more than a decade now that they’ve had issues when it comes to producing impact big league arms. If all goes well, the combination of Hawkins, VP of scouting Dan Katrovitz, and AGM/VP of pitching Craig Breslow will fix that in a hurry.
An official announcement should come soon, though the timing could be dictated by MLB’s unofficial moratorium on any news that could pull focus from the postseason.